Live For Me
by DragonEyes1294
Summary: A requested story. The Joker is gone and Harley is struggling to cope. But can a new friend help her through the pain? Rating may change as new chapters are added.


**This is a femslash story, as a request. Hope you enjoy, and don't forget to leave a review.**

It wasn't the crash that did it. Somehow, the Joker had miraculously survived plummeting to earth in an opened helicopter, set ablaze by several military missiles. To begin with he hadn't even noticed how severe his injuries were, to busy fuming over losing his Harley for the second time.  
For a few seconds, she had been right there, in his arms, then the missiles struck and the next thing he knew she was falling into the concrete maze that was Gotham. In those fleeting moments, he'd believed she was gone forever until she rolled back onto her feet and sprinted to the edge of the building, just in time to witness him disappear in a cloud of flames and smoke.

A few loyal henchmen found the wreckage, pulling him out of the blazing inferno they had managed to drag him back to their penthouse, a difficult task considering the tantrum he was throwing. The only reason they were able to do it was due to the fact he could hardly walk. It was only when he'd calmed down enough to finally allow his private doctor to examine him. Then the full extent of his injuries came to light; and it wasn't good.

xXx

For Harley, the sight of her Puddin going down in flames was the worst moment of her life. It had ripped a gaping hole in her heart that she was sure would never heal. When the henchmen had blasted a hole in the wall of her dark and empty cell she felt so much joy and hope that she felt she was going to burst, as only the Joker would break into the world's most secure prison just to get her back. All of that was dashed the second she realised that he was not amongst her rescuers.  
Quickly she had been hustled into the back of a white van which then sped off towards Gotham leaving the sounds of the prisons alarms wailing far behind.

The drive back had been quick and quiet. The henchmen barley looked her way, shifting uncomfortably in their seats. Although this was normal behaviour, as they feared what J would do to them if he caught them looking, there was something different, more disheartening about it this time. Something was clearly wrong.

Harley had always imagined that returning to their home would be a joyous occasion. It was something she had looked forward to ever since her capture by that infernal "dark night". The penthouse itself had not changed, it was still as big and grand as ever, with every detail exactly as she remembered. Around her henchmen bustled around silently completing any orders they had been given. When they spied her they came to an immediate halt, the sombre look on their faces turned quickly into one of fear, telling her that something was very wrong, that and they were still very afraid of her. And amongst all of this, she had still not laid eyes on her man.

"Where is he?" she demanded, glaring around at everyone. There was no need to mention his name, they all knew to whom she was referring. Worriedly they all glanced at each other before one of them bravely stepped forward. "Through there Miss" he said quietly gesturing towards their shared bedroom. Quickly she hurried over, henchmen scattering in all directions, terrified of getting in her way. However, once she got to the door, Harley paused. Normally Joker would have been the one to rescue her and by now would most likely be doing something that most people would consider crazy. The fact that he wasn't, scared her. Sensing that she was being watched she spun round scowling at everyone who promptly returned to whatever task they had been assigned. Once everyone had disappeared, she cautiously knocked twice on the door before giving it a slight shove.

All the lights in their bedroom were off except for one bedside light that stood next to the bed. Joker was laying propped up in bed, looking half asleep. It took everything for Harley not to gasp audibly at the sight of his bare chest that was covered in various dressings and bandages. Anywhere that was not covered by first aid showed horrendous burns, deep lacerations and atrocious bruises. She'd never seen anything like it, and they'd beaten up plenty of unfortunates. It took a moment or two before she could move, frozen in shock at the level of damage his body had sustained. As quietly as possible, she closed the door before making her way over to him. The closer she got the clearer she could see each mark that decimated his normally flawless skin, each one seeming to carve a new wound into her soul. She could even hear the way he struggled to breathe, each breath short and raspy. It was then she realised why everyone acting so off. The Joker was dying.

Feeling the dip in the mattress as she curled up beside him, Joker opened his eyes, his famous psychotic grin appearing at the sight of her. His injuries only made it look even more creepy. "Hey Harls, welcome back!".  
"Miss me Puddin?" she asked smiling as she snuggled up to his side relishing the feeling of his arm around her.

The two chatted for a while, catching up on events which occurred during their separation. Joker became furious when he realised how badly Harley had been treated by her prison guards, immediately calling for his henchmen to capture all prison guards involved in her incarceration. Especially Griggs who, despite being the one to help her escape, had been the worst when it came to their activities off camera. From the inhuman snarl in his voice, it was clear that those guards would come to an exceedingly painful and drawn out end.

On the other hand, he had laughed when she described how she had fooled the Enchantress to get close enough to cut out her heart which the Squad then blew up. "That's my girl!" he chuckled, raising a hand to her cheek.

Once the laughter died down, things got serious. The two clowns had never been a talking couple, but they knew this was going to be the last time they got to talk properly. Harley had rarely seen Joker get emotional. It was something that he kept for when they were alone and even then, it was rare. He also never apologised for anything, but he did now.  
Giving Harley a serious look, J apologised for every time he had hurt her, physically, emotionally and psychologically. He couldn't understand why she had stuck by his side despite being repeatedly dragged through hell and back since the day they had first clapped eyes on each other. All he knew was that he loved her, something he hadn't realised until he'd convinced her to jump in a vat of acid all those years ago. She was the only one who saw the man behind the madness, the only one who hadn't tried to change him, the only one who loved him for who he was.  
As he spoke it was impossible for Harley not to cry, large tears rolled down her cheeks that J brushed away with his hand. His words told her exactly what she had known from the very beginning, that underneath all that insanity the Joker was just a regular human being. He was just damaged and seriously misunderstood.  
The only problem was, the more he spoke, the weaker he appeared to be getting.

Whilst he was talking, J pulled out a small velvet box from the cabinet next to him. Inside sat a small silver ring with a small diamond embedded in it that sparkled in the light of the lamp. On the inside of the ring, the letters J and H had been engraved inside a tiny heart. He offered the ring to Harley. "You're my queen Harley, in every way but one. What do you say? Shall we make this official?".  
She didn't need asking twice, squealing yes she threw her arms around him, trying to be mindful of his injuries. Not that J seemed to mind, he was too busy laughing happily, clutching her to him as best he could. The ring was a perfect fit and slipped onto her finger as if it had always meant to be there. Still grinning at each other the two kissed passionately, her fingers tangled in his hair whilst his hands cupped her face. They poured all their emotions into the embrace ensuring that the other knew exactly how they felt, celebrating their engagement yet saying goodbye at the same time. Once again Harleys tears began to fall, she felt J slipping away from her. Desperately she clung tighter to him as if she could somehow prevent the inevitable and keep the man she loved with her forever. But as she felt J's hand slip from her face, she knew there was no hope. The Joker was gone.

xXx

The funeral was short but flashy, just the way J would've wanted it. Normally he didn't bother with formalities but when he did, he always made sure that everyone knew about it.  
Despite it being held in secret, the funeral had been packed. Nearly every criminal in Gotham city had come to pay their respects to the fallen King of crime, that or they just wanted to confirm that he was really gone. Despite how dead she felt inside, Harley did her best to act normal. She and Joker had built up quite a reputation and she was not about to let that slide. A few crime bosses who thought highly of themselves propositioned her to become their companion believing that Joker only kept her around for her looks, and that by having her on their team would move them up the hierarchy to become Gothams new king. Their perceptions soon changed after one of them was left needing to organise their own funeral. She was left alone after that.

After the funeral Jokers body was cremated. Some of his ashes were turned into a tiny diamond that was embedded into a delicate silver J that Harley wore around her neck, next to the engagement ring he had given her. Although she'd much prefer to have her Puddin with her alive, it comforted her to know that a part of him was always close.

The remainder of his ashes were scattered off the top of Gotham's highest skyscraper. There she watched as they got caught in the wind, tearing around the rooftops in a crazed manner just like J had the streets of Gotham in his Lamborghini. She smiled at the memories. Now he could run rampant as much as he wanted and no one would be able to stop him.

In the distance, the bat signal shone high in the sky. No doubt batsy was off ruining someone else's fun the way he always tried to ruin theirs. "Guess he'll have to find a new arch enemy Puddin" she murmured as she fiddled with her necklace, watching as the remains of her fiancé got swept off into the sunset.


End file.
